What does berth mean?
Word: Berth
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Berth means a bed on a train or ship. It can also mean a place in a harbour where a ship stays.
Synonyms: bunk
Sounds like: birth (the time when a baby is born)
How do you spell berth?
Syllables: berth
Tricky part: Berth sounds just like birth. The bed on a train is spelt with er, the coming of a baby with ir.
Watch out for: burth, berthe, bearth
Memory tip: A berth is a bed, and both begin with be. Birth, with an i, is the word for being born.
Idioms and Phrases
- give someone a wide berth: to keep well away from someone or something Example: "We gave the big muddy puddle a wide berth on our way to school."
Berth in a sentence
Example 1: I climbed up to the upper berth and fell asleep at once.
Example 2: Grandma always books a lower berth because of her knees.
Example 3: The big ship came into its berth at the port in the morning.
Fun Fact
On sleeper trains, such as the Caledonian Sleeper between London and Scotland, passengers sleep in berths inside small cabins.
Practise the CREST Way
Sound Check
Which of the following words rhymes with the given word?
berth
a) heart
b) earth
c) beard
d) bath
Show answer
b) earth. Earth ends with the same 'erth' sound as berth.
Word Champ
Which of the words cannot be made using the letters in the given word?
berth
a) bet
b) her
c) herb
d) three
Show answer
d) three. Three needs two e's, but berth has only one.
Spell Spies
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) berth
b) ticket
c) cabin
d) platfom
Show answer
d) platfom. Berth is right; platform has an r before the m.
Spellacadabra
From which option does a letter need to be removed to make a meaningful word?
a) pillow
b) blanket
c) sheet
d) bertth
Show answer
d) bertth. Berth has only one t before the h.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. On a long train trip, what do you mostly do on your berth?
a) check in your bags
b) wait for the bus
c) queue for tickets
d) sleep for the night
Show answer
d) sleep for the night
2. When a ship is at its berth, it is...
a) far out in the open sea
b) crossing the deep ocean
c) tied up beside the dock
d) sailing up a wide river
Show answer
c) tied up beside the dock
